Air Transportation Lifeline of China C

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Air transportation, lifeline of China. Now we're running into black weather. Yeah.

The starting dice up pretty bad. Uh-huh. We'll smile and fly through it and get on top. Altitude's 14,000. This is the aerial Burma road, the airline, over the hump. The Himalayas from Calcutta, China. This pilot and co-pilot are bringing in a cargo of heavy machine parts.

Is the windshield the ice are working? Yes, it's working. The layer of ice is forming across the glass. Yeah, props are picking it up too. That was a massive ice thrown by the propellers against the cabin.

As the transport climbs, the temperature drops. The heating system's going out. Temperature is 30 below. Perfect blind flying. Ice is completely closed over the windshield. Radio comes to bed. Climb this baby another inch. We're at 20,800.

Uh-huh. Pop up the window the eyes are spraying. See if you can get some of the alcohol to wake out around the valve. Yeah, well, some coming out now. That's good. Catch it on your fingers and rub it in the inside of the windows.

Maybe we can get a glimpse out. Whoa, man, is that cold? Yeah, that parades too fast, eh? Yeah. Here, I'll press my bad hand against the window. Maybe that'll clear a little space. Careful. Watch out, your hand doesn't stick there.